I'm sorry but I resent being told that listening to an audio book is inferior to reading it in Braille.  It is different but not inferior.  I used to be able to read normal print & do not consider that superior to audio either.  IT is a matter of preference.  There are many people like myself who learned Braille as an adult & just cannot read with any speed.  Yes, I know that much practice would improve my speed but there is only so much time & I have many things I would prefer doing.  Audio is easier to deal with on a train or plane & you can't read a Braille book while folding laundry or making dinner.  

Having said all that, the part of your email I do agree with is the importance of Braille.  I do wish I had learned it at a young age & was fluent.  I think it is a critical skill for anyone with low vision or blindness.

Sherry Wells

-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of brian
Sent: Sunday, November 3, 2019 7:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] readers digest in braille

     I do remember at school that readers digest was 3 braille volumes in grade 2 braille.  I to would greatly prefer this format over audio or newsline.  We will have totake how ever we can get it.  I do prefer to read with no audio or any technology that can and all to often does fail.  With good old hard copy braille you can read any time any whear. Braille will always be the very best format for the blind we should have much more of it and not less. It's the only way that we are truly literate and if you don't read then you are not truly literate.  Being read to is not literacy reading for yourself is.  I think that every blind person who is physically able to shouldbe required to learn braille.  We would no longer have only 10 percent of blind people knowing braille. If the majority of the blind know braille then we would have much more of it just like in the good old days.  They could not use that tired old excuse that only10 percent of blind people know braille so the ones that do can't have it.  We have told this for much to long so lets get those numbers up so we can have more braille.  audio is just not same as acually reading.  I do understand that there are certainly blind people who have medical conditions that prevents them from reading braille.  I am not talking about them but there are blind people just to lazy to learn it and this needs to change.  We also need teachers who can teach braille.  Not wanting to learn should not be an option . For those of us who attended blind schools we had to learn and there was no I don't want to we need to back to that.

73

n8mnx

Brian Sackrider


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